Keeping safe during construction
During construction, we will take all precautions to keep everyone safe. There will be barriers around our temporary work areas and appropriate security in place. If we encounter any unforeseen materials, we will remove and safely dispose of them.
As one of the conditions of the lease over landowners’ land, an easement around the proposed spur pipeline will be in place once it is installed. This is to prevent any development on top of it which could pose a safety risk to the proposed spur pipeline. Farm tracks and vehicles, however, will be able to safely cross over the proposed spur pipeline. Once the work is complete, we will return the land as closely as possible to its original condition. We will replant or replace hedges or fences after construction where possible.
Traffic and access
Temporary access for the construction compounds will generally be set up to minimise disruption and local environmental impacts. Access will be established from the existing road network via temporary access tracks.
Construction timescale and working hours
We will do everything we can to minimise disruption, including only working during the daytime and keeping traffic to a minimum. Some locations where trenchless crossings are being carried out will require working 24 hours a day, but this will be for short periods.
Should planning permission be granted, we anticipate that the construction of the entire spur pipeline proposed development will commence in Autumn 2026 and continue until Spring 2028.
The construction process
The method of installing the buried spur pipelines will mostly be by the open-cut trench technique, with some areas requiring trenchless crossings.
The section of proposed spur pipeline to the east of the River Weaver will be installed above ground.The method of installing the buried spur pipeline will involve a combination of open-cut trench technique and trenchless crossings.
The open-cut trench technique will involve digging soil to form a trench, lowering the pipe into the trench, and backfilling it with the excavated soil. The depth of the trench will vary depending on technical factors such as ground conditions and topography.
Trenchless techniques are used when installing pipelines under railway lines, major roads and riverbeds. Trenchless techniques bury the pipeline at a greater depth than the open-cut technique and will depend on the nature of the feature being crossed. In these cases, we will use methods such as:
The spur pipeline will be at a minimum depth of 1.2m in open cut sections and deeper for trenchless crossings to avoid existing services and physical obstructions.
Although the pipeline is relatively small (it will have a maximum diameter of 16 inches, or approximately 41 cm), the space needed to safely install it will typically be 25 to 27 metres wide. This allows enough space to dig the trench and lay the pipe, as well as providing space for storing soil during installation and enabling access for vehicles. Additional space will be required in locations where we need to execute a trenchless crossing.